The Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engine is the only geared propulsion system in commercial aviation today delivering industry-leading sustainability benefits and world-class operating costs. The industry forecasts a need for about 30,000 new planes over the next 20 years. With the global air traffic picking pace post pandemic Pratt and Whitney have a strong balanced order book of GTF engines. Joe Sylvestro, vice president, Aftermarket Global Operations, Pratt & Whitney, speaks in depth about the revolutionary engine in a candid chat with Swati. k.
Q. Right since launch, the GTF engine has played an important role in transforming aviation by effective cost reduction and environmental performance. Can you tell us more about this revolutionary engine?
A. 20 years ago, we bet on the GTF and the single-aisle market. Those were good decisions. We now power the fastest recovering and fastest growing segment in commercial aviation with the most efficient engines in their class. The industry forecasts a need for about 30,000 new planes over the next 20 years. Traffic and orders are picking up, especially in the U.S., Europe and China. We have a strong and balanced order book, with 10,000+ GTF engine orders and commitments from more than 80 customers. We’ve announced more than 1,200 GTF orders so far this year.
The Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engine is the only geared propulsion system in commercial aviation today deliveringindustry-leading sustainability benefits and world-class operating costs. GTF engines are helping open new and longer routes, like JetBlue A321LR from New York to London. GTF is the quietest and most efficient family for single-aisle aircraft: up to 20% less fuel and CO2, 50% less NOx and a 75% smaller noise footprint. With 1,000+ aircraft in service, we’ve saved 0.5B+ gallons of fuel and avoided 5M+ metric tonnes of CO2. Certified for 50% SAF, with plans for 100% SAF capability, these engines can achieve even lower emissions.
Q. MTU Maintenance Zhuhai was formally added to your network in December 2020,and within a short span of less than a year you have already inducted your first engine for overhaul. What can you say about this achievement?
A. MTU Maintenance Zhuhai is MTU’s third facility to serve engines with full disassembly, assembly and test capability in Pratt & Whitney’s GTF MRO network.The new China team benefited from lessons learned shared from the service technicians at the MTU Aero-Engines facility in Germany and the EME Aero location in Poland. (EME Aero is a joint venture between Lufthansa Technik AG and MTU Aero Engines AG.)
Q. Opening of an active shop in China will definitely be beneficial to customers. How soon do you feel the induction pace will build up and GTF MRO network will grow in China?
A. Pratt & Whitney has a long history in China dating back more than 90 years. Today, China is central to our strategy as it’shome to one of the largest GTF fleets, where 11 airlines will be operating more than 200 A320neo family aircraft by the end of 2021. While MTU Maintenance Zhuhai is the first active shop in China, starting in 2022 we will have several other facilities working toward their first induction in the Asia-Pacific region, including a facility in Beijing, another in Taiwan, and two additional locations in Japan. The market in China is growing along with our GTF fleet, and together we can address that growth. We are bringing the best of both worlds together with our engine technology, coupled with local operation and local maintenance.
Q. What is your opinion of the progress in Chinese MRO market post pandemic?
A. Utilization is still down overall, but affecting regions differently. Domestic travel powered by narrowbody aircraft has come back strong with international travel still lagging. The U.S. and China are recovering well.
Extending the fleet forecast into MRO, there is of course a direct correlation. Increasing utilization means higher MRO demand. Again, we are well positioned here with our single aisle, regionals, and freighter presence.
- One positive aspect of the market with regards to our engine MRO business, and our APAC MRO facilities in particular, is that our engine MRO facilities in Asia Pacific don’t just serve this region, but also airline customers in other parts of the world – such as North America and Europe – and benefit from recovery elsewhere.
- What’s more, a large portion of our portfolio is still very young. Our GTF engine is at the start of its lifecycle, and the majority of our IAE V2500 engines, if you look at fleet demographics, are also young since the A320ceo program really took off and deliveries boomed in the second half of the program. We also benefit from a strong position of the V2500 on the A321ceo and continued demand for the V2500 in freighter conversions.
- We are focused on fleet readiness and ensuring that our operators are in the best possible position for continued recovery. We used some of the pandemic utilization reduction to accelerate bringing improvements into the GTF fleet, and it’s paid off with mature 99.97% dispatch reliability for the A320neo family.
- Pratt & Whitney is growing its MRO footprint in China, securing in-region maintenance support for its customers. For example, the Pratt & Whitney Shanghai Engine Center continues to expand its capabilities, recently celebrating the overhaul of its 100th IAE V2500 engine. Last year, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pratt & Whitney welcomed MTU Maintenance Zhuhai and Ameco Beijing to its GTF MRO network. This network showcases Pratt & Whitney’s customer centric philosophy, working with leading service providers to have a support system at the ready for customers whenever needed.
- Earlier this year Pratt & Whitney’s China Customer Training Center (CCTC), which will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year, successfully passed a joint training capability assessment organized by the Flight Standards Department of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), making it the first CAAC Part-147 approved aircraft engine type maintenance and repair training organization in China. We continue to develop training offerings, including courses on EngineWise® data analytics, engine health monitoring and engine fleet management.
Q. What can you tell us about MTU maintenance role in the GTF engine manufacture?
A. Pratt & Whitney and MTU have a long-standing relationship as collaborators on the GTF engine. By being part of the GTF MRO network, MTU is building upon that relationship with their expertise on both the OEM and MRO sides. By adding locations across the globe, together we are helping to ensure expert service care is available for our worldwide customers.
Q. What are the other facilities in Asia supporting GTF MRO network? Do you have any upcoming plans to expand this network in Asia-Pacific region?
A. Pratt & Whitney’s GTF MRO network currently consists of seven overhaul facilities across the Asia-Pacific region. We have three active shops, including MTU Maintenance Zhuhai in China, Pratt & Whitney’s Eagle Services Asia in Singapore and IHI in Japan. The other four facilities are industrializing to achieve their first induction.As volume grows, the network is expected to expand to include other strategic collaborators. We will announce new members of the network as agreements are finalized.
